A large Bedford-Stuyvesant food pantry that has served the community for more than 10 years is in danger of closing due to lack of funding.
The Bed-Stuy Campaign Against Hunger says the organization ran out of money last year and was counting on cash donations that never came once the economy fell into a recession.
One local resident, Mary Hill, of Crown Heights, says she would be forced to borrow food or go hungry if the Bed-Stuy food pantry closed down. According to Rev. Melony Samuels, the executive director of the pantry, the organization serves about 8,000 people and 72,000 meals each month.
"Bed-Stuy Campaign Against Hunger is asking for one dollar," Samuels says. "All New Yorkers to chip in and help us feed Bed-Stuy by just sending a dollar."
According to Samuels, the campaign is the largest food pantry in Brooklyn. She believes the borough would really suffer if it was forced to close.
"We can't afford to close. We are a beacon of light here," Samuels says. "We can't afford to close."